raverx3m

Who said i hate mercedes? I just said its not reliable. It has alot of build in failures to keep dealerships busy.
i hate bmw and vw and porsche and range rovers.
those are even worse. Those i would never own brand new or used.
ive been working on cars for last 20 years in different types of shops from mechanic to car stereo to bodywork
on average i see 5-10 cars a day and i note their overall condition. And take them apart and note how stupid they are designed.
with that said out of all the german cars mercedes is the easiest to work on. But i dont live in a fairytale like you where i convinced myself that having to meticulously maintain a car equals reliability.
any car will run forever if you replace parts
i also know plenty of mechanics to back up my claims
what do you have besides the two newish mercedeses you own?

JettaRed

iTrader: (1)

Me, too, since the few miles I now drive would make me too damned old to reach 200k miles. But Audi is not considered highly reliable, yet I've kept mine going for 250k miles.

I won't argue that point. My 2008 G35x was a beautiful car and very reliable...until it wasn't. In heavy rain, water would infiltrate the passenger compartment and collect under the carpet. That led to one electronic disaster after another. Finally, my insurance company totaled the car since it knew the problems would be never-ending. I consider THAT a design flaw.

Not really. It is just when someone comes along making broad disparaging remarks that are contrary to my personal experiences, I want to know specifics so that I can mitigate the risks.
I admit that while the R230 is a fabulous car, it is dated a bit (20+ years) and the early cars are now showing their age when it comes to the transmission, suspension, roof, and seats. I would not recommend one without pointing out its weaknesses. But the problems with the R230 are not so much "design flaws" as they are age.

You still haven't answered my question as to why you continue to own a Mercedes if they are so bad and your Japanese cars are so good. I am genuinely curious since continuing to own a car you disparage is contradictory.

JettaRed

iTrader: (1)

OK, just name one built-in failure. I can give you two: SBC brake system and sub-frame corrosion, both addressed by Mercedes through extended warranty coverage. Every manufacturer has its problems that show up after a particular model has hit the streets. Toyota with run-on acceleration is one that comes to mind. Subaru with blown head gaskets is another. And both are popular Japanese designed vehicle brands.

No argument there. Older VWs and Audis from the early 2000s would be fine, but not the newer ones for me. I've never been impressed with BMW's build material quality, and Range Rover is reported in the press to be unreliable.

I've been working on cars twice as long and they are one of my passions. I have learned a lot over the last 46 years and enough to know that the proper way to work on a car is to do your research first, which takes us back to your opening post. Any mechanic that claims to know Mercedes would know to check and double check parts and procedures and not carelessly assume they are doing something right. That goes for dealers and independents. With a BS in Engineering, a MS in Information Technology, and decades of hands-on experience, I have learned to do research and challenge broad generalizations that are not backed up with specific examples or data.

I agree that Mercedes are the easiest to work on as I have owned VW, Audi, Volvo, Opel, Saab, and Mercedes over the years. The fact they are easy to work on I believe is part of the design. It allows dealerships to maximize profit when servicing their cars.

I don't live in a fairytale world and fully realize things will break. That's why I do my research, assess my risks, and make informed decisions. As mentioned above, brands I have owned over the years include European, Japanese, and American cars: Ford (4), Oldsmobile (1), Chevrolet (1), Toyota (1), Honda (2), Datsun/Nissan (2), Infiniti (1), Mazda (1), Saab (2), Volvo (1), Opel (1), VW (4), Audi (6), and Mercedes (3). I've performed regular maintenance on all of these cars, and repairs on most. I've bought some new and some used. The most reliable have been Honda and Toyota, and the least reliable have been Audi and Saab. But all these brands have their ups and downs. Saab: ignition coils. Mazda: timing belt. Ford: head gasket. Infiniti: electronics. Audi: head gasket. VW: vacuum lines, coil packs, temperature sensors. None are perfect. If you consider 9- and 10-year-old cars as newish, that may be your problem. The older cars get, the greater the risk of problems. But these are not always design flaws. Overall, I have found Mercedes to be well engineered.

raverx3m

10 year old car should not be falling apart. obviously if a japanese car from early 90s can have 400k with all original parts there should not be a problem with cars that are 5-10 years old.
the paint on buttons peeling
buttons falling off completely because poorly designed
buttons stop working because cheaper materials were used
door locks on audi not working because who fn knows i dont even remember seeing a japanese car with non functioning windows or door locks in the shop. yet i see a german car with broken locks and windows every single week

but lets see
the most obvious one
the intake manifold design on m272 engine. from 2004 to 2014 same faulty design was used where the plastic rods and flaps would break. 10 years it was used and in that time the design was never updated to fix the breaking flaps.
the balance shaft that they offered a limited recall and then had to have 2 separate lawsuits because the cars were becoming paperweights also for 10 years even the "updated" balance shafts still had same issue while mercedes kept claiming to have fixed the problem. i know some people on forums had to have it fixed 2-3 times over the years. the sensors that keep breaking the valvetrain issues in m272 cam gears,
oil leaks that never seem to go away on mercedes -the dealership tech mentioned that is the reason why they have so many diapers on mercedes because it leaks oil all the time. they just replace them during service to make it look like everything is fine.
for reference my infiniti not a drop of oil no diapers anywhere 190k and when i asked on fb group most of the infiniti owners confirmed that its a normal thing to not nave any oil leaks on those cars...
the placement of fuse boxes in the trunk right where the water runs off the back glass straight into the fuse box or amp or any other module that is placed there.
the fuse box placement is probably the worst design flaw since that has been a problem since the 90s and i know exactly why they do it.
because water drips into fuse box. fries the circuit. and dries up leaving no trace. dealership says oopsies your box is fried you need a new one. must be a "defective box"

there are more obviously but i dont have time to write them all out. you can just look at the forums and see for yourself they are all here literally the forums are filled with people posting about the design flaws.

JettaRed

iTrader: (1)

So why do YOU continue to own a Mercedes? Seems incongruent.

raverx3m

You seem to miss the point.
and still hurt about me saying that its not reliable.
obviously i like the car.
why do i not own a bmw? Answer is above.
why did i buy a mercedes? Answer is also above
im not a maniac fanboi of any car brand. There are many things i hate about honda. But i love their engines
same with other brands.
you seem to be very hurt by what i said about mercedes and keep coming back to same argument about how you feel that mercedes is reliable in your opinion "you just have to meticulously maintain it"

raverx3m

can this be an electrical problem having to do with rear sam? im throwing bunch of codes for rear sam that dont make sense. like the circuit 30g for example that nobody seems to know what it is even google doesnt know

but also when im driving in sport mode, it bonks in first to second shift BUT not second to third.
when i switch to E then it bonks in second to third shift.

this part doesnt make sense to me.
if it was a tq it would do this in first and second gear switchover if im in sport mode.

raverx3m

i need to do another transmission flush so might as well replace the o rings
where is the good place to buy them?
and what else should i do while in there?

vesiadog

While you are taking the Solenoids out clean the screens.. I used an egg carton to hold the 8 solenoids. DO NOT MIX THEM UP.. replace exactly .


This is what I bought and used. You will need 8 of each. The minimum buy changes but are very cheap in cost. Good luck.